This memorial was created after a local elderly couple donated a quarter acre of land to create it. The couple also set up a trust of $32,000 each year for the local American Legion Post to fund the maintenance and further development of the memorial and help with any needs the community may have.
The American Legion Post 145 raised funds for the memorial that was dedicated in 2009 and features two bronze eagles and four bronze statues of men and women in uniform. Six seals of service branches are displayed on a pillar of granite along with a beautiful image of a bald eagle flying past the American flag.
Marlin Callies was a Lance Corporal in the Marines, specializing as a Rifleman in the Vietnam War. At age 20, he was the first Veteran from Howard to make the ultimate sacrifice. He was one of 192 South Dakotan’s who died during this war. Among many medals earned during his service, he was awarded the purple heart.
Howard resident Tommy Callies (relation unknown) graduated from the Air Force Academy and became a Captain and pilot of a fighter/bomber jet during the Vietnam War. The Phantom plane he flew was extremely fast and could reach a Mach 2 (1,500 + mph). The plane was the state-of-the-art at that time and equipped with electronics and radar. During a mission in 1969, his aircraft was shot down in South Vietnam. Witnesses of the crash stated no human remains were found on the site. He and his co-pilot were unaccounted for were initially listed as a POW/MIA. His body was never found, and he is listed among 2,400 MIA at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.